Combustion engine performance-enhancing procedure

ABSTRACT

The invention uses a car&#39;s speed to gather ambient air in an air accumulator to create a fast-moving flow of that air and injecting that air to the exhaust piping in a direction to assist exhaust motion away from the engine.

A. TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention pertains to a method of increasing the efficiency of internal combustion engines by creating a low pressure in an improved exhaust system.

B. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

By their nature, internal combustion engines create exhaust gases which must be removed from the area near the engine. Manufacturers of automobiles and other vehicles tend to use a piping system which channels the gases away from a controlled combustion inside an engine or stove. The entire system conveys exhaust gases from the engine and includes one or more exhaust pipes. Depending on the overall system design, the exhaust gas may flow through one or more of the following:

a. Cylinder head and exhaust manifold

b. Turbocharger to increase engine power.

c. Catalytic converter to reduce air pollution.

d. Muffler which reduces noise.

An exhaust pipe must be carefully designed to carry noxious gases away from the users of the machine. Indoor generators and furnaces can quickly fill an enclosed space with carbon monoxide or other poisonous exhaust gases if they are not properly vented to the outdoors. Also, the gases from most types of machine are very hot; the pipe must be heat-resistant, and it must not pass through or near anything that can burn or can be damaged by heat.

For the internal combustion engine it is important to have the exhaust system “tuned” for optimal efficiency. The internal combustion engine uses about 12% of its produced horsepower to move the exhaust fumes from the motor's cylinders. This truth holds across all types of internal combustion engines, including gas, diesel, propane or natural gas.

The combustion engine industry continuously seeks ways of reducing the power necessary to remove exhaust from the motor intake area, as the motor operates best when the incoming air to the motor contains no exhaust.

C. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention uses a vehicle's speed to gather ambient air in an air accumulator to create a fast moving flow of that air that is injected inside the exhaust piping. This additional air flow leaves the exhaust pipe, taking the engine's exhaust with it.

The pull of the additional air flow reduces the load on the engine to push the exhaust out, making that power available to the vehicle user to increase speed, or just obtain better fuel efficiency. An optional blower motor can be employed to create the same effect when the vehicle is not moving.

D. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Exemplary embodiments of the Combustion Engine Performance-Enhancing Procedure are set forth in the figures.

FIG. 1—Side view of a horizontal embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2—Side view of a vertical embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3A—Front view of one embodiment of the Accumulator.

FIG. 3B—Top view of the Accumulator shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 3C—Side view of the Accumulator shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4—Side view of a second vertical embodiment.

FIG. 5—Side view of a third vertical embodiment.

FIG. 6—Side view of the third vertical embodiment employing an optional blower.

E. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

For a better understanding of the disclosure, and to show by way of example how the same may be carried into effect, reference is now made to the detailed description along with the accompanying figures in which corresponding numerals in the different figures refer to corresponding parts.

As shown in the embodiments shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the invented procedure employs three elements added to an existing exhaust system, including:

1) Accumulator 11—This is a which catches the air as a vehicle moves. As shown in FIGS. 3A-3C, the Accumulator 11 sits behind or just under a vehicle's front grill, with an opening that faces the front of the vehicle.

2) Connection Tubing 13, which carries the collected m air from the Accumulator 11 to the Exhaust Pipe 17;

3) Injection Nozzle 15, which releases the collected air from the Connection Tubing 13 into the Exhaust Pipe's flow of exhaust.

As already stated, FIG. 1 shows a horizontal embodiment of a prototypical installation of the invention on most cars, which includes an engine installed in the front part of the chassis and an Exhaust Pipe 17 that discharges fumes at the rear of the vehicle. (Note that an exhaust pipe is part of every production vehicle, and is prior art in most cases. However, the invention can be constructed to replace the exhaust pipe, in which case it is then part of the invention itself, rather than a foundational structure that is modified.)

As the vehicle moves, it pushes against the air in front of it. Just as the flow of air is used in the operation of radiators to cool the water in an engine, the Accumulator 13 gathers the air, and by the vehicle movement, the air is naturally pressurized and forced from the Accumulator 13 into the Connection Tubing 13.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the Connection Tubing m carries the compressed air to the Exhaust Pipe 17, at a point after any catalytic converter, and preferably after any other element that might interfere with the flow of exhaust fumes through the Exhaust Pipe 17. The inventor has experimented and found that the maximum efficiency is not reached unless the nozzle is at approximately 48″ from the exhaust pipe end.

FIG. 2 shows a vertical embodiment of a vertical installation that is prototypical found in a typical diesel truck with a vertical exhaust pipe which delivers the fumes above the truck cab. This embodiment must create a flow of air that will assist the exhaust flow up and out of the diesel pipe. To accomplish this task, the Connection Tubing 13 must turn the flow from its natural direction of travel. In FIG. 2, the Connection Tubing 13 turns down and then reverses direction and the Injection Nozzle 15 directs the compressed air collected by the Accumulator 11 so it pulls the exhaust out of the top of the Exhaust Pipe 17.

Optionally, a Blower 21 can be installed to move air through the Connection Tubing 13, as shown in FIG. 6. Use of a Blower 21 allow the engine to experience the same increase in efficiency irrespective of speed, which is otherwise necessary to create the low pressure pull of air in this system.

Many other embodiments are possible, including that shown in FIG. 4, in which the Connection Tubing 13 merely extends into the Exhaust Pipe 17 and turns upward without any appreciable length of tubing inside the Exhaust Pipe 17. However, the Nozzle 15 creates a helpful Venturi effect that maximizes the impact of the introduced air flow.

Though figures provide a defined size, shape, and position for the Accumulator 11, this element can be created with an infinite number of cross-sectional shapes, and can be fit on one side of a vehicle grill, below the grill, replace an air dam, or wherever space can be utilized for that purpose.

Similarly, the Connection Tubing 13 can be of various diameters. A larger Connection Tubing 13 can be an impediment to exhaust flow, so there are practical limitations to the diameter of the Connection Tubing 13. The current embodiment has resulted in a 10% increase in gas mileage, but because engine and exhaust pipes differ from one vehicle to another, the best size and configuration for each car will vary. It is expected that anyone in the industry can optimize the design without any undue experimentation.

Finally, the invention can be constructed so the Connection Tubing 13 is affixed to the Exhaust Pipe 17 at an angle so the compressed air flow enters the exhaust flow at an angle which encourages the flow, but as the Connection Tubing 13 does not actually enter the Exhaust Pipe, the exhaust flow is not impeded. See FIG. 5 for a vertical example. 

1. An exhaust system for an internal combustion engine of a vehicle, comprising: a. an Accumulator which catches air surrounding a vehicle with an opening that faces the direction of vehicle travel; b. Connection Tubing connected to the Accumulator such that vehicle travel causes pressurized air caught by the Accumulator to travel through the Connection Tubing and releases the air inside the vehicle's exhaust pipe, such that the released air is directed away from the engine.
 2. The exhaust system of claim 1, with the addition of an Injection Nozzle, modified as follows: a. an Accumulator which catches air surrounding a vehicle with an opening that faces the direction of vehicle travel; b. Connection Tubing with one end connected to the Accumulator such that vehicle travel causes pressurized air caught by the Accumulator to travel through the Connection Tubing, and the other end connected to an Injection Nozzle; a. the Injection Nozzle which accepts the pressurized air from the Accumulator through the Connection Tubing and releases it inside the exhaust pipe of the vehicle, such that the released air is directed away from the engine.
 3. The exhaust system of claim 1, with the addition of an optional Blower installed along the Connection Tubing.
 4. A method to improve a vehicle's exhaust system, comprising: a. installing an air Accumulator in the air flow on the vehicle so it collects air while the vehicle moves; b. installing a tube to carry the air collected in the Accumulator from the Accumulator to an Injection Nozzle; c. installing the Injection Nozzle so it releases air moving through it into the vehicle's exhaust pipe, d. facing the Injection Nozzle so airflow from the Nozzle is directed to release the air in the same direction as the exhaust is traveling from the engine to the area behind the vehicle.
 5. A method as described in claim 4, with the additional step of moving air along said tube with a blower. 